Extracurricular with Stephanie Vanos and Eddie Geller

This week, Steph and Eddie power through their intro because Steph is busy! They do get a little time to talk about weddings, work retreats, daughters, and movie clubs, but it’s all business after that.
Today’s guest is Genesis Robison, the Executive Director of Equal Ground Education Fund and Action Fund, Florida’s preeminent Black-led voting rights organization. Genesis began by explaining the work that Equal Ground does in fighting for voting rights and how Genesis himself got into the work (11:28). Then, we jump right into what is happening now with Florida’s egregious gerrymander and how Equal Ground is using the courts to fight back (17:27). We also walk through a few of the other ways Florida is suppressing the vote with the newest legislation coming out of the most recent legislative session (28:55). We then look through the national lens at the gutting of the Voting Rights Act in the Louisiana v. Callais Supreme Court Decision, and how state-based voting rights legislation may be the next move (37:11). Finally, Genesis shares how folks can support the work of Equal Ground and fight back against these relentless attacks on voting rights in Florida and across the country (51:06).
Equal Ground FL 
Extracurricular Podcast
Stephanie Vanos
Eddie Geller

Wow, we totally missed this, but the Extracurricular Podcast (neé TBD) is over a year old! We celebrated by dedicating nearly two minutes to commemorate the occasion. (No but really we’re quite proud.)
Today we spent our time digging into the blockbuster of a lawsuit: Spar vs Kamoutsas. Eddie begins by asking Stephanie what this lawsuit is all about, why she joined, and what it means to be a plaintiff (13:52). We then followed up by discussing what’s next and the implications of the suit (29:08). Finally, Steph and Eddie switch gears by discussing Florida’s new plan to roll out an alternative to A.P. U.S. History—which is both laughable and completely unnerving (39:19). 
Extracurricular Podcast
Stephanie Vanos
Eddie Geller

After a two-week hiatus, Steph and Eddie return with Florida Representative from District 44, Rita Harris. We start by going into a bit of Rep. Harris’s background, how she made the decision to go from activism to electoral politics, and how reality differed from expectations of what it would be like to be a member of the Florida House of Representatives (14:20). We then talked over two of the bills that Harris sponsored that made it into law from the most recent session, but also some of the most distressing pieces of legislation that passed (24:40). Then, of course, we dug into the recent redistricting/Gerrymandering that’s taken place in Florida but also how we keep fighting when times are tough (38:20). Finally, we engaged in a little bit of hope for the 2026 midterms, dug into the story of how Rep. Harris started out as a Theater Kid, and shouted out her own podcast: In Session with Rep. Rita (54:56).
In Session with Rep Rita Podcast
Rep. Rita Harris
Stephanie Vanos
Eddie Geller

Steph and Eddie begin this week’s episode with a recap of some OCPS business: Denim Day, a debate about the dress code, and SAFE coordinator cuts. Then they welcome Lee Perry to the podcast (14:20). Lee is a climate activist, campaigner, and podcast host here in Orange County. Lee begins by discussing her background in climate activism and how she works to bring together folks with differing views. Next, the crew discusses institutional barriers to making change in local government and what we can do to change that. They also talk about how we’re failing students and young people when it comes to education around climate change (45:46), and how important it is to be an involved and accessible elected official. Lastly, we dig into Lee’s podcast, Organizing to Victory, and how Lee recharges.
Lee Perry
Organizing to Victory podcast
Extracurricular Podcast
Stephanie Vanos
Eddie Geller

Florida House Representative and U.S. Senate Candidate Angie Nixon is on the pod! But first, Eddie and Steph discuss Attorney General Uthmeier’s recent statement indicating that he will not enforce the Constitution or Florida’s laws and that he will permit public funds to be used for religious charter schools (5:42). They then welcome Rep. Nixon (14:07) who talks about her background and how that led to her advocacy for public education and her concern about the school to prison pipeline (17:54). She talked about her early introduction to public service (21:52), bills she has fought for during her six years in the Florida House (24:36), and the relationship between low lawmaker salaries and out-of-touch lawmakers (28:48). Then, they dig into her campaign to replace Sen. Ashley Moody in the Senate (31:42) and where we go as a nation in a post-Trump world (41:47). 
 
Angie Nixon for Senate Website
AngieforFL (Instagram)
Extracurricular Podcast
Stephanie Vanos
Eddie Geller

Steph and Eddie are back from Los Angeles and are at least 10% cooler. After catching up on their trip, their time at No Kings, a discussion on the salaries of legislators, they unpack the ins and outs of making a policy at OCPS. Steph starts by walking through what a policy is (22:49). Then, after a quick diversion into the intricacies of public comment at OCPS (27:15), Steph explains how citizens can have an impact on policy (33:50). And lastly, Steph explains how she prepares going into the policymaking process (36:55). 
Extracurricular Podcast
Stephanie Vanos
Eddie Geller

Eddie and Steph welcome Dr. Mara Schiff to the podcast. Dr. Schiff is an Associate Professor at Florida Atlantic University and a former member of the School Board of the School District of Indian River County. She has many qualifications! But we brought on Dr. Schiff to discuss restorative justice and how it applies to our schools. We begin with Dr. Schiff’s background and talk through her time on the school board during the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic (7:43). Then we get to the heart of the matter by defining restorative justice, how it can be used in our schools, why it can be a more effective alternative to traditional punishment, and how it can tackle racial and socioeconomic disparities (24:45). After covering the substance of RJ, we address the elephant in the room (or at least, Eddie’s room)—”This sounds woke!” (50:59). Lastly, we discuss whether restorative justice can help us find justice in a post-Trump world for our most elite lawbreakers and what is the future of restorative justice (53:51).
Extracurricular Podcast
Stephanie Vanos
Eddie Geller

Happy (belated) International Women’s Day! Steph and Eddie celebrate by welcoming a dear friend, and absolute mensch, Susan Windmiller. As the title suggests, Susan makes s**t happen here in the Orange County Democratic Party. We started by getting Susan’s background in government work, how she got started organizing and raising money, and whether we’re too quick to dismiss folks in our party who have more wisdom and experience (10:08). Susan then talked about translating her government experience into the work she does now in fundraising and connecting to donors (25:30). Eddie then requests a point of privilege to ask Susan to gush about Steph as a school board member (37:31). Finally, Susan lays out what your local party actually spends its money on and what she thinks the electoral prospects are for Florida Democrats in 2026 (51:52).
Extracurricular Podcast
Stephanie Vanos
Eddie Geller

This week, Eddie and Steph welcome Parker Molloy, a writer covering media, politics, and the world around us on her Substack, The Present Age (10:20). Parker begins by explaining her journey to becoming an independent journalist and how watching hours upon hours of Fox News helped shape her thinking.  Next, she explains why it feels like there’s too much news, the tactic of “Flooding the Zone,” and how the hollowing out of the Washington Post, CBS, and other institutions are making it worse (25:55). Parker then makes the direct connection between media narratives on the trans community, and the ability of activist legislators to enact real harms against the trans community (40:44). Then we delve into Trans Athletes In Sports and how nearly everything about that conversation has been misguided (50:40).
Parker Molloy (Bluesky)
The Present Age (Parker’s substack)
Extracurricular Podcast
Stephanie Vanos
Eddie Geller

Steph and Eddie are back after a week off feeling refreshed and ready to go (eventually). They start off the show with a bit of table setting for our interview—including a definition of EdTech (it’s a portmanteau!). They then dip into Steph’s latest trip to Tallahassee with some legislative updates, a short recap of the latest State Board of Education meeting, and Eddie rants about the importance of Student protests.
 
Then, Eddie and Steph bring on author and former educator, Anne Lutz Fernandez. In addition to co-authoring a book about education, Anne created the resisting Resisting School AI Mania Help Sheet which has a great list of resources and research about the issues with AI integration into our schools (14:08). After walking through an intro into Anne’s own experiences with EdTech, the conversation moves into a few of the specific issues regarding AI in education (29:39). Anne addresses whether we’re seeing a “vibe-shift” on AI (46:25), and finally, what a vision for a robust public education system looks like (58:55).
 
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Anne (Bluesky)
Nobody Wants This (Anne’s newsletter)
Extracurricular Podcast
Stephanie Vanos
Eddie Geller